Obama defense pick could come sooner than expected

Source: AP

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior administration officials tell The Associated Press that President Barack Obama could name his next defense secretary in December, far sooner than expected and perhaps in a high-powered package announcement along with his choice for secretary of state.

The personnel moves, coupled with Obama’s choice for a new leader of the Central Intelligence Agency, will be viewed by U.S. allies and enemies alike as signal of how he will pursue national security in a second term. All of his choices will be subject to Senate confirmation.

The top names under consideration for defense secretary are former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, deputy defense secretary Ashton Carter, former top Pentagon official Michele Flournoy and Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. Kerry is seen as coveting the State Department job more

21. True, he is not one of us

Neither was Obama's first S.O.D. The position has a very specific focus, even more so than S.O.S. If Obama wants Hagel I can live with the choice. He has been pretty sane, even courageous, on national security matters; openly breaking with his Party and the last Republican president on matters of war and peace.

Hagel is intelligent and thoguhtful and has worked with Obama before. I am not pushing for him, but I won't blow a gasket if Obama chooses him either.

15. I was unaware Panetta was leaving his post.

16. He has held the position since July 1, 2011

Panetta has said that he doesn't want to serve through Obama's second term,
but he also said that that didn't mean that he wanted to leave right away.
He said he wanted to stay till the defense cuts are worked out, etc.

18. Here's an excerpt I just now found regarding Panetta

-snip-

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has made clear he did not intend to stay for a second term but he has never publicly discussed the timing of his departure, widely thought to be down the road in 2013. Yet Obama's thinking on Panetta's replacement has quietly advanced, aided by a strong list of candidates, officials said.

One senior U.S. official said Panetta is expected to stay on the job at least through the Jan 21 inauguration ceremony for Obama, another sign that the president is close to naming a new defense chief. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss internal White House thinking.

19. Also former top Pentagon official Michele Flournoy is being considered for Sec of Defense

-snip-

The top names under consideration for defense secretary are former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, former top Pentagon official Michele Flournoy, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. Among those, Kerry is seen as desiring the secretary of state's job more.

-snip-

Flournoy would be the first woman to lead the Defense Department. She served in the Pentagon under Panetta as undersecretary of defense for policy, resigning early this year. She served as a foreign policy adviser to Obama during his re-election campaign.